On Christmas Day my husband was working – he works in a hospital so somebody has to. Therefore I knew that I would be home alone, I happened to be chatting to a friend who was talking about all the people who would be going round to their house, so I ended up inviting myself round as well. I figured if you don’t ask, you don’t get. I ended up having a lovely Christmas lunch, and all because I asked.

Our Bible verse this week encourages us to take those bold steps, but not in inviting ourselves round for dinner but in prayer to the Father. In Matthew 7:7 it says

“Ask and it will be given to you, seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you”

It is so easy for us to complain when things don’t go the way we want them, or if we don’t achieve what we want to but, the question we always have to ask ourselves is…. Did we put the effort in?

Our thought for the week comes from Winston Churchill who says

“Continuous effort, not strength or intelligence, is the key to unlocking our potential”

I love this quote because it shows that we all have potential, but we are the only ones who can bring that potential out. If you see any professional athlete, dancer, singer, musician, actor they are the ones who have had to keep putting in the effort to get better, to develop their skills, it couldn’t just happen because they wanted it to.

What is it that you are passionate about? Where do you need to put in more effort? What will that effort be?

Prayer: father God, thank you that you have given us all gifts, and strengths. Help us to put in the effort to develop those to be a blessing to others and to glorify you. Amen

Our school motto is ‘enter to learn, go forth to serve’, the second part of this is a reflection of the Gospel and is shown at Archbishop’s in so many different ways. This week alone there have been cake sales to raise money and collections for food bank. So often people associate Church with a service in a building, when actually the focus should be on the collection of people serving the community.

Our theme this week is social action, and it is easy for us to think that we, individually, can’t really make any difference but as Achim Steiner says in our thought for the week

“Every small action matters because when 7 billion people do that thing it changes the world”

If we all do small things the impact could be huge, we are also more likely to encourage others to do small actions as well if they see us doing them.

In the parable of the sheep and the goats Jesus lists actions that will be rewarded, these actions include giving food to the hungry, giving water to the thirsty, inviting in the stranger, giving clothes to those without any, caring for the sick, and visiting those in prison. Although it says we will be rewarded for these things, that isn’t the reason we should do those things, but as if we were doing them for Jesus himself. Jesus said that when we do these things for the least of the people we are doing them for him.

So… how can you make a difference? Where do people need support in your society?

Challenge: do a small action each day to help someone who is struggling, see what effect it has on others

Prayer: thank you God, that you chose to come to earth and live amongst the people, thank you that you helped those who needed it and help us to do the same. Amen

I was watching a programme today where a woman, recently widowed, found that her husband had kept all the photos that she had told him to throw out because she didn’t like the way that she looked. This, of course, was in the good old days where took a photo and had to wait for it to be developed, no chance to keep retaking it, and editing it, the only option was to keep it or to throw it away.

As we look this week at public image, there are two things I want to focus on. I’m not going to go into the e-safety stuff… but to think about how we are viewed and how we can have a positive impact.

Our thought for the week comes from Germany Kent who says

“You are responsible for everything you post and everything you post will be a reflection of you”

We are the only ones who have responsibility for the things that are posted either by us, or mentioning us. What does your profile say about you? Are you hiding behind a constant filter, is there a lot of negativity, or is it positive and encouraging?

What impression do you get of other people from their social media profile and posting? What would people say about you? I am aware of people who have deleted friends because of the negativity of their posts… but we also have to remember that so often employers look at our public image as well.

This brings me on to our second point. Our profile is a reflection of us and Christians believe we are a reflection of God. Is this reflected in our public image? When Paul was writing to the Ephesians he wrote

Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen.

How can we use our public image, whether online or in person, to encourage others and build them up? It may be making a choice only to share the positive, or if it is negative then to approach it with care and practicality as opposed to just whinging. But most importantly do not use public places, online or physical, to belittle, or show anger at other people. A lot of the time it is not necessary, and is most definitely not helpful. By all means talk through concerns with others, and speak to the person involved but in a private and safe setting. This verse doesn’t suggest that we have to get along with everyone but that we should approach conflict with care, and use our words wisely.

Challenge: think about your public image, and if there is anything you need to change.

Prayer Father God, thank you that we are able to communicate in so many different ways, and that we are a reflection of You. Help us to communicate so that we are a reflection of the love that you have for us. Amen

How are the New Years resolutions going? Did you make a resolution about eating less, doing more exercise, or generally getting healthy? When it comes to getting healthy we tend to focus on one thing, whether that is food, or exercise, or something different but it really does need to be a holistic effort. Our thought for the week comes from the world health organisation, and I love it! It says

Health is a state of complete physical, mental and social well-being, and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity

All aspects of our lives have an affect on all of the other aspects, and we need to be aware of that if we are to take care of ourselves. When it comes to looking after ourselves we are often our own worst enemies, we can tell other people what they need to do to take care of themselves but often fail to do the same ourselves.

One of the most quoted verses from the Bible (not officially, I’m just guessing) is “love your neighbour as yourself”. People often quote this verse to show how we should care for others, even strangers – after all it is linked with the parable of the Good Samaritan. BUT the assumption is that we love ourselves and treat ourselves with love. But how can we show such love to others if we do not love ourselves? It is not, as is often thought, selfish to take care of ourselves as it means that we can then have the strength to love others. In Paul’s first letter to the Corinthians he says

Do you not know that your bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own; you were bought at a price. Therefore honour God with your bodies

How do we honour God with our bodies? By taking care of them, so that we, can then take care of others and reflect God’s love to them.

This week I had to take a day off work to rest my voice… I felt guilty but it was necessary to then teach the rest of the week. God rested on the seventh day, and Jesus regularly took breaks to rest and recuperate – perfect examples of looking after themselves to be able to show love to others.

Challenge: do a self check of things you do to show you care for yourself, and things that show care for others – is the balance correct?

Prayer: Father God, thank you that you created us in your image, and that we temples of your Holy Spirit. Help us to take care of ourselves so that we, may take care of others. Amen

I’ve been thinking about writing this blog for some time, but somehow other stuff got in the way. However, catching up on TV, or having a snack – nothing seemed to get in the way there!

Procrastination… it’s something we all experience at some time, but I imagine we will all experience procrastination in different ways. We might procrastinate about different things, and we will procrastinate in different ways.

In case you’re not sure what I mean by procrastination the dictionary definition is ‘the action of delaying or postponing something’. So when you have an important task to do, maybe an assignment, or revision, you will find other things to do instead – assuring yourself that you will get round to completing that task at some point. Our thought for the week comes from Mason Cooley who says “procrastination makes easy things hard, hard things harder” – why do things become harder when we procrastinate? It’s for many reasons but partially because we are adding pressure and time limits to ourselves. I know that I am a last minute person, I argue that this is when I do my best things… it’s more that I’m an expert in procrastinating so always end up doing things at the last minute so I have come to assume it’s a necessity.

In our first two days of the school term we were considering making a fresh start at the beginning of a fresh year, and recognising that the only way we can shape our path and move forward is through our choices. I don’t think there are any cures to procrastination, however if you become aware of it as an issue, and recognise that you are procrastinating that may help you to get back on track and focussed. It is only something we can do though, friends or others telling us to do something is likely to have the opposite affect.

In the book of Ecclesiastes it says ‘whoever watches the wind will not plant; whoever looks at the clouds will not reap’… this is great when we think about procrastination… maybe in my life it should read ‘whoever writes lists will not tick them off’.

Procrastination is not necessarily a bad thing, but it can be hinderance to our productivity and journey, the only ones who can change that is us.

Challenge: think about when and how you procrastinate and if there are things you can do to get you back on track and focussed.

Prayer: father God, we thank you that you have given us so many things to occupy us, help us stay focused on what we should be doing so that we can be productive, and then relax and fully enjoy everything else. Amen

Once Christmas day was over my social media feed was filled with people explaining regrets from the year gone, and resolutions for the year ahead. There were also a lot of people listing resolutions with the expectation that those resolutions will not be completed, or stating that they were not even going to bother to make resolutions because they knew they wouldn’t fulfil them.

Where do you stand on resolutions? Have you made any? How did you decide?

This term our collective worship is under the heading of “Fresh start… fresh heart” and we are going to be looking at different things that affect our everyday lives, how we might respond to them, and what Christianity teaches.

This week we are simply considering “Making a fresh start”. January is a sensible time to think about our lives and changes we can make, well… I guess you could say each month is a good time, or each week, or even every single day when we wake up. The important bit is that it is US thinking about OUR lives and changes WE can make. We can’t rely on other people, Jokotade, a Nigerian-born artist, gives us our thought for the week saying

“If you desire to move forward your choice must lead the way”

We may seek support from others and will need other people, but it needs to be our choices.

However, in every fresh start and every choice made, Christians believe there is hope and comfort in God. In the book of Isaiah, he is prophesying to the Jews who are being held in captivity and gives this message from God

“See, I am doing a new thing! Now it springs up; do you not perceive it? I am making a way in the wilderness and streams in the wasteland.”

Where will 2019 take you? What choices are you going to make? Are you willing to see what pathways are being made by God?

Prayer: Father God, thank you that you give us the opportunity to make fresh starts. May we seek support from you that we may make choices that will help us to move forward. Amen

We use the word a lot, but it can mean a variety of things… I was joyful when my football team won… I was joyful that I got the results I needed… I was joyful when my favourite tv series was back on… I was joyful when I had a couple of weeks off school. BUT is that any different to using the word happiness? If it is just happiness, a simple emotion, then why do we consider it important at advent, or even Christmas?

As we enter our final few days of the term, we consider this concept of joy.

Within Christian teaching joy is so much more than happiness. Joy is one of the gifts of the spirit, something that we receive but also that we can share. Throughout the nativity story we see joy, Mary was filled with it, the angels sang of it, the shepherds rejoiced and the wise men searched for it. Is it something that only comes at Christmas though?

No… it starts there but it is available throughout everyday. We can look at the world through a lens of joy, and we can share joy with others. But we need to be like Mary, the shepherds and the wise men, willing to take the necessary steps to find it in the first place. Our thought for the week says

Joy is the infallible sign of the presence of God

May this Christmas time be a time that you are able to find joy, and may that joy be available to you throughout the year.

What are you hoping for? Is it a specific gift? Or is it an enjoyable time with friends and family? Maybe it’s decent TV? Maybe a time of peace in the house?

The Church has now entered Advent. This is a time of preparation, not really the physicality of putting the decorations up, and buying and wrapping the presents but more about preparing our hearts and minds for the coming of Jesus. After all, Jesus is the reason for the season.

Each week in advent focuses on different parts of that preparation, and this week we are focussing on hope. Saint Augustine said

“Christmas is fast approaching. And now that Christ has aroused our seasonal expectations, he’ll soon fulfill them all!”

Throughout the Old Testament promises are made about the saviour that will be coming, it is a collection of stories of hope. As Christians we are able to look back and see those promises fulfilled. If those promises can be fulfilled then we can have a certain hope that all promises from God will be fulfilled. This is not the same as hoping that we will get everything on our list, or that we will have a nice time with family over the holidays, this is a hope that gives us confidence and strength. In the Psalms it says

“We wait in hope for the Lord; he is our help and our shield. In him our hearts rejoice, for we trust in his holy name.

May your unfailing love be with us, Lord, even as we put our hope in you.”

How do you feel when someone makes you a promise and they keep it? How do you feel next time they make you a promise? That is what it can be like for Christians all the time as they hope in God.

So how can we use this to help us prepare for Jesus? Remind yourself of the promises given by God… that’s what Jesus has come to fulfil.

Prayer Thank you God that you have kept preparing us for Jesus, and continue to prepare for his return. Help us to prepare our hearts and minds in this season to welcome the Lord. Amen

Challenge: take some time each day to find promises of God from the Old Testament and make a note of the hope they bring to you

What part does sport play in your life? Do you enjoy playing? Do you prefer watching? Do you get an allergic reaction when the idea of sport is mentioned?

As we approach Advent sport is the final area that we will be looking at in our series of how different topics link with faith.

You may think it’s difficult to link these two but actually it’s possibly easier than many other subject areas, and is possibly one that I’ve seen people link more than other areas. It is also something that we can learn a lot from even if we don’t find sport that enticing ourselves.

Sport is something that helps you, as a participant, to start thinking about yourself holistically. Although you could just play a game in the playground, if you really want to improve at a sport you have to practice, you have to think about what you’re eating, you have to think about how much rest you are getting, you have to think about what other exercise you are getting. Our thought for the week comes from Jillian Michaels and it says

“It’s not about perfect. Its about effort. And when you bring that effort, every single day, that’s where transformation happens. That’s how change occurs”

Although this quote is about sport, it could easily be applied to anything that we try to get better at in our lives. We shouldn’t be trying to be perfect but we will only change if we put in the effort everyday. Sport, music, art, craft, friendships, and even our relationship with God.

However, we also need to be careful, what is it that is the most important in our life? We can allow these things to become our priority and suddenly they take over our lives. It is important, not just with sport, but that we regularly take stock of our priorities in life and ensure that there is a balance of all aspects. An extreme example here could be Eric Liddell who was a 100m sprinter and a devout Christian. At the Paris olympics in 1924 the 100m heats were on a Sunday and he refused to run as he considered that the sabbath and a day of rest. Therefore he ran in the 400m instead and won. Extreme, yes, but Eric was clear where his priorities were.

So… we have learnt that sport can teach us about a holistic lifestyle and the importance of putting in effort regularly to build up anything that we do. But what else can we learn?

I am always fascinated when I hear interviews from sports people who have a faith, and when giving their thanks to different people they give thanks to God. There is a recognition that they have achieved what they have achieved because of God. This may be because of a belief that they were created by God who gave them the skills and ability to achieve. It may also be linked to this verse from Isaiah which says

“but those who hope in the LORD will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint.”

Tiredness and exhaustion comes a lot in sport, whether practice or participation. This verse reminds us all that not only does our body and skill come from the Lord, but also our strength. Things may go wrong and this could be disastrous if you are relying upon your own strength, but if you acknowledge that you have strength in the Lord then you are reminded that you are not your own. Is this not the same in every aspect of life?

Challenge: are there things in your life that you want to develop and that you need to put more daily effort in? Do you try to do everything in your own power or do you allow yourself to lean on others, and on God? How can you do this more?

Prayer: Father God thank you that you have given us so many sports to enjoy participating in and watching. Thank you for those examples of people who through their sports are a witness to you. Help us to learn from sport about putting effort into things, and drawing on your strength. Amen